Reel and holder for drain cleaner snakes



April 18; 1950 F CARSON 2,504,391

REEL AND HOLDER FOR DRAIN CLEANER SNAKES Filed my 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I m'entor Fra 22/! L. Carson A 11 may:

April 18, 1950 L. cARsbN REEL AND HOLDER FOR DRAIN CLEANER SNAKES Filed May 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In: euro! Fra 72/? L. (Tb/r50 n Alf 1 meyx Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED snares PATENT oFF1Cs REEL AND HOLDER FOR DRAIN SNAKES CLEANER Frank L. Carson, Hollywood, Calif. I Application May 1, 1946, SerialNo. 666,333

. 4 Claims. g 1

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for use in cleaning drains or waste pipes and more particularly to apparatus of the character commonly referred to as plumbers snakes or cleaning wires.

It is a (primaryo'bject of the present invention to provide improved construction of a cleaner of the type usually known as a top snake or can snake and which is constructed so that it may be quickly and efficiently operated by one man and compactly stored when not in use.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel construction of holder for the flexible snake into which or from Which the snake can be readily reeled and which will efliciently function to prevent the coil thereof from becoming tangled within the holder.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a holder having vnovel means for restraining the snake against being withdrawn therefrom and which may be utilized for regulating the paying out of the snake or the drawing in thereof to effectively prevent tangling.

Still another aim of the invention is to pro vide a holder having an internally disposed handle arranged to suspend the weight of the holder and snake in a balanced position around the hand.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device possessing the above described features whichis of extremely simple construction capable of being economically manufactured and sold and which is durable and will function efliciently for its intended purposes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved drain cleaner;

' Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view thereof taken'substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view; .-of .-the drain cleaner, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2.-

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the drain cleaner in its entirety is designated generally 5 and includes an elongated flexible member 6, commonly referred to in the trade as a plumbers snake or cleaning wire. The snake or clea'ning- Wire 6 may be in the form of a flexible cable, but as disclosed, is preferably flexible to pass around curves or elbows in, a

drain without being obstructed thereby, but yetv which is sufficiently resilient to normally extend in substantially a straight line and be sufficientlyrigid to dislodge obstructions that may be encountered in a drain pipe.

The snake 6 is mounted in a-reel or holder,

designated generally -8, which is substantially cone or funnel shaped and which includes an outer section 9 and an inner section III. Theouter section 9 is provided with a restricted-for ward end, designated generally II including a restricted neck i2, having an internal diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the, snake 6, and a flared mouth l3,'disposed beyond the neck I 2, forming the open forward end of the holder or reel 8. Inwardly from, the inner end of the neck l2, the outer section B'includes a. substantially uniformly flared annular portion M which terminates at'its enlarged end in an annular portion l5 which isof substantially uniform diameter and which terminates in an inturned annular edge portion 16.

The inner section In includes an inner end I! which is substantially flat and disposed transversely to the axis of the holder 8 and from which projects an annular, rearwardly extend ing and substantially uniformly flared portion 58 which is disposed within and substantially concentric to the fiaredportion Hi. "The por"-'1 tion It at its rearendinerges with an annular portion l9 which is-disp'osed substantially concentric to the portionii and. which terminates in an outturned' annular edge 20 which-is partially overlapped by the'inturned edge i6.

From consideration of Figure 2, it will be readily apparent that the inner and outer holder sections I0 and 9;,respectively, are disposed sub-l stantially concentric from a point in transverse 1 alignment with the end I"! to the rear end of'the holder 8, and said concentric portions are spaced apart a distance slightly greater-than the diameter of the snake 6 to form a: substantially" conical receiver orc'hamber 2| for housing the.

snake. The sections 9 and in are relatively? rotatable to thus'provide a reel or holder formed" of swivelly connected sections;

A hollow handle. 22 is provided-with shad- 23 having an outer portion which is shaped.- and sized toabut flush against the outer side;

of the end I! and the adjacent part of the portion I8. The head 23 may be secured to the portions l1 and I8 in any suitable manner as by welding, or may be formed integral therewith. The head 23 is provided with an axially disposed and internally threaded bore 24, the outer end of which registers with an opening in the end l1, and the inner end of which opens into the hollow interior 2-5 of the handle .22.

An elongated "thumb screw 21 "has a shank pro-- vided with a threaded portion 28, adjacent its shank end, which threadedly engages the bore 24 and which extends therethrough and'through the opening 25. Beyond the threaded portion 28, the shank of the thumb screw 21 terminates in a tapered end 29 with a pitch which is substantially concentric to the casing portion [4, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent. The opposite end of the shank of the thumb screw 21 extends loosely through the handle -recess 2'8 and terminates 'at its rear end in a knob 'whichis disposed behind the handle 22.

As best illustrated in Figures 2"and 3, the snake 6 is normally housed in the conical annular chamber 2! being -coi'led"therein with the con volutions thereof disposed in abutting engagement. The inner end of the snake 6, not shown. is disposed against the overlapping portions it and 20 and is suitably securedto the inner holder section I0.

'To'pay out the snake fi for feeding it into an obstructed drain or the like, not shown, the thumb screw is positioned, as shown in'Figure 2, and the *handle 22 is grasped by one hand of the operatorand the free hand engages the outer holder section 9, for example around the neck t2 thereof. "The first mention-ed hand is then usedto revolve thesection 19 with Tespect to the section '9 in a direction, opposite to the direction that the section Ill would turn to reel in the snake Ii, for example 'in a clockwis direction, as illustrated in the drawings. This will cause the snake '6 to be paid 'out throughthe neck l2 and the flared mouth il3, so long as the inner section It) :"is revolved relalti-vely to "the outer section which-is :hel'd stationary by the hand of the operator for supporting the'drain cleanert. When the snake :6 :has been :pai'd out to thefiBSiWd length, as when :an obstruction is encountered, the "thumb screw 30 may 'be turned to advance the shank thereof to cause the end 29 to be moved into clamping engagement with azportion-of the snake which is 'disposed between the end29 and the adjacent portion of the outer :section -9. With the snake thus gclamped the holder 8, said holder can be actuated manually to work 'the snake head 1 past the obstruction without danger of a part of the snake being pushed back into the receiver 2| and become entangled therein. By similarly holding and revolving the casing section 9 in the opposite or counter-clockwise direction, the snake 6 will be'reeled in throu'g'hthe'neck i2 and closely coiled into the receiver 2| 'to resume the position as shown in Figure 2. The thumb screw 21 can then be :advanced for clamping the snake in its position of Figure '2 toho'ld the snake in a re= tractedposition, while notin use. The thumb screw ZW may also'be utilized through proper adjustment ior :retardingthe reeling in or the reeling but of the snake 6 to avoid tang-ling thereof.

From the foregoing it will ice-readily apparent thatthe holder "8"prov ides a construction wherein the handle 22 is disposed within 'the'holder, so that the holder and the coiled snake' will be disposed in a balanced position around the hand grasping the handle 22 and so that the support of the drain cleaner 5 will be substantially in moment with the direction in which the snake is reeled in or out from the holder -8 thereof to facilitate the eilicient operation of the apparatus with the least manual effort on the part of the o erator.

Various modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted. to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereiz.:...-ter defined by the appended claims.

I claim asmy invention:

In a drain cleaner, a holder or reel formed of inner and outer swivelly connected sections, said sections combining to form an annular, sub- ,tiaily funnel shaped chamber having a, res ed outlet at one end of the holder and being d at its opposite end, an elongated flexible normally nested in coiled relationship in nlar chamber and having one end pro- 5 through the restricted outlet of the holder,

ner and retaining the outer holder section in stationary position while the inner section of the holder is revolved for reeling in-or paying out said flexible member.

In a drain cleaner, a holder or *ree'l formed her and outer swivelly connected sections, 1 sections combining to form an annular, partially cylindrical and partiall conical shaped chamber having a restricted outlet at one end 0f the holder'and being closed at its opposite end, an elongated fiexibie member normally nested in coiled relationship in said annular chamber and having one end projecting through the restricted outlet of the holder, said outer holder section being adapted to be manually engaged and held stationary, and .a handle adapted to bemanually engaged for revolving the inner iholder section relatively to the outer holder section for reeling in or paying out said flexible member, said handle being fixedly 'disp'ose'd relatively to said inner holder section -and arranged axially thereof.

3. In a drain cleaner, a holder or .reel formed or" inner and outer 'swivelly connected sections, said sections combining to form an annular, substantially funnel shaped chamber having :a restrict-ed outlet at one end of the holder, an e'lon gated flexible member normally nested in coiled relationship in said annular chamber and having one end projectingthroughth'e restricted outlet of the holder, said outer holder section being adapted to be manually grasped for supporting the drain cleaner and for maintaining said outer section in a stationary position while the inner section of the holder is revolved for reeling in or paying out said :fiexible member, a handle fixedly disposed relatively to said inner holder section and "arranged axially thereof and adapted to be manually grasped for revolving the inner holder section relatively to the outerholder section, and an elongated thumb screw adjustably'mounted in the holder for movement axially thereof, said thumb screw having a portion extending into said annular chamber, adjacent the restricted neck, for engagement with the flexible member.

A drain cleaner comprising a substantially cone shaped reel provided with an annular substantially conical chamber, said reel chamber having a restricted outlet at one end thereof and being defined by swivelly connected inner and outer reel sections; and'an elongated relatively flexible member normally nested in coiled 'relationship in said annular chamber and having one means for manually supporting the drain 5 6 end projecting through said restricted outlet, said flexible member being adapted to be reeled in or REFERENCES CITED out with respect to the reel by the rotation of one The following references are of record in the of said Sections with respect to the other section, file of tfihls patent: a handle rigidly secured to the inner section and UNITED T E PA'IENTS disposed Within and axially of the reel, and an elongated thumb screw disposed longitudinally l Name Date 9a7,551 Remmen Oct. 19, 1909 of the handle and 1n threaded engagement there- 1 761 592 S61 d e1 June 3 1930 With, said thumb screw having an end extending T n 1,815,532 Jesey July 21, 1931 mto the reel chamber and ad ustably dlsposecl it? 2037 104 Yohn Apr 14 1936 with respect thereto for regulating the movement of the fiexibl emb r -lati e1 t th holde 1042507 Kugelman May 1936 e m e V y o e 2,245,823 Rappaport June 17, 1941 FRANK CARSON 2,284,939 Asnard June 2, 1942 

